Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Why did the British lose the War of Independence? - Coggle Diagram

- - - - He had an amazing ability to stop the army from falling apart and avoided being completely defeated by the British. This happened when he had a strategic retreat at the Battle of Long Island on 29th August 1776 which stopped the main body of his army being captured.
      - Looked after his troops: in the winter at Morristown, New Jersey in early 1777, he arranged for smallpox vaccinations to be given to soldiers.
      - At Valley Forge in 1777-78 Washington marched his 11,000 troops into their winter camp at Valley Forge, near Philadelphia. Conditions were dreadful, with little food and freezing temperatures. In order to keep the army together, Washington organized foraging parties to gather supplies, but also issued passes to limit the numbers who could leave the camp. (nb 2,500 still died and 1000 deserted but maybe don’t mention this!)
      - Maintained discipline: He established a strict disciplinary code in the army which encouraged the soldiers to resepct and obey their officers.
  - - - • Washington did not follow the traiditional habits of European warfare.
      - • He launched a surprise attack on the British forces at Trenton in December 1776and Princeton in January 1777 which were successful because the British were not used to fighting in the Winter.
      - • He shot at officers during the Saratoga campaign.
      - • Made effective use of any advantage given: When Von-Steuben the Prussian officer offered to train American troops in February 1778, even though he spoke no English, Washington accepted. He helped to train the Continental Army to march in order and to use its weapons more effectively.
  - - - • Could raise a large amount of troops to fight for him. Promoted the idea of American liberty which attracted people to join his army.
      - • When army needed supplies, he paid for them or gave receipts for seized property.
      - • Around 230,000 men served in the Continental Army throughout the war.
      - • Gained support of key figures such as French Admiral de Grassse whose ships helped at Yorktown and Marquis de Lafayette also played a central role.
- - - - • The British had some great victories but at a price of heavy casualties at Bunker Hill in 1775 which involved a frontal assault on the Americans, 228 British soldiers were killed and 800 wounded.
      - • Many Americans escaped capture: after the Battle of Long Island in 1776, the British did not follow up their victory, which meant 9.000 American troops escapted to fight again.
      - • HUGE logistical problems: during the 1777 campaign, General Burgoyne took 30 carts full of possessions with him. This slowed his army down and contributed to its surrender at Saratoga.
      - • During the 1777 campaign, Burgoyne didn’t know the territory and struggled to travel through the dense forest.
      - • They couldn’t drift too far away from waterways because of their supply chain, this caused substantial issues, especially when the Americans used this to their advantage at Saratoga to starve them out, and at Yorktown.
  - - - • They were 4,000 miles away from Britain so communication with Britain took 4-6 weeks to arrive.
      - • British generals struggled to work together in 1777, General Howe planned a campaign to capture Philadelphia, but did not coordinate with Burgoyne’s plan to march south to New York. As a consequence, Howe was too busy at Philadelphia to help Burgoyne when he ran into difficulties on his journey through New York.
      - • Same problem continued. In 1781 General Clinton sent Cornwallis to Yorktown. When the Americans began to surround Yorktown, Clinkton sent a letter that promised reingforecmenets of t 4,000 troops. However, he did not live up to this promise.
      - • Instead, Clinkton delaed, and Cornwallis waited for help that never came. By Mid-October, an outnumbered Cornwallis surrended to Washington.
- - - - a. Vital supllies: £48 million worth of weapons and supplies during the war
      - b. Military expertise: French officers took a central role in planning campaisng. For example the Marquis de Lafayette joined Washington’s staff in July 1777
      - c. Fleet of Ships: Admiral de Grasse’s French fleet helped prevent supplies reaching Yorktown and ferried French troops to join the siege itself.